Subtitles
Associated Teachers TV programme
Phil Beadle's Masterclass: Limbo and Night of the Scorpion
0001 10:00:08:02 10:00:11:14
(Phil) I'm working today with kids
from Newham, where I used to teach.
0002 10:00:11:14 10:00:15:20
We're studying poems from
other cultures and traditions.
0003 10:00:15:20 10:00:18:16
We'll be looking to bring out
the musicality of the poems
0004 10:00:18:16 10:00:21:05
and to have a kind of
experiential approach to it.
0005 10:00:27:06 10:00:29:01
What's fascinating about "Limbo"
0006 10:00:29:01 10:00:32:09
is the link between
the people on the slave ship
0007 10:00:32:09 10:00:34:22
and the Catholic notion of limbo -
where babies go
0008 10:00:34:22 10:00:37:21
when they've not been
baptised before death.
0009 10:00:38:01 10:00:41:16
Look at your numbers. Put your
numbers down. Remember your numbers.
0010 10:00:42:07 10:00:44:16
Right, who were the first
man and woman on earth?
0011 10:00:44:16 10:00:45:24
(students) Adam and Eve.
0012 10:00:45:24 10:00:48:16
- Which one committed the first sin?
- Eve.
0013 10:00:48:16 10:00:50:18
It was Eve.
Be careful of the ladies.
0014 10:00:50:18 10:00:54:08
The issue with this is, because
every single person in this room
0015 10:00:54:08 10:00:57:21
is meant to be a direct descendant
of Adam and Eve,
0016 10:00:57:21 10:01:01:14
we are all stained from
the moment of our conception
0017 10:01:01:14 10:01:04:00
with our father
and our mother's sin.
0018 10:01:04:00 10:01:05:21
According to the Catholic Church,
0019 10:01:05:21 10:01:10:13
the moment you are conceived in
your mother's womb you are a sinner.
0020 10:01:10:13 10:01:14:02
The only way that you can ascend
to the kingdom of heaven
0021 10:01:14:02 10:01:17:13
is to have these sins washed away
through baptism,
0022 10:01:17:13 10:01:20:23
through what the Catholics describe
as "the gift of baptism".
0023 10:01:20:23 10:01:26:03
Issue: what happens to
little babies who are born
0024 10:01:26:03 10:01:28:19
and then die
before they're baptised?
0025 10:01:30:02 10:01:31:18
- Yes?
- (boy) They go to limbo.
0026 10:01:31:18 10:01:33:21
- What's your name, mate?
- Niall.
0027 10:01:33:21 10:01:36:08
Niall. What's limbo, Niall?
0028 10:01:36:08 10:01:39:00
- It's in between heaven and earth.
- OK.
0029 10:01:39:00 10:01:41:24
- And who lives there?
- People that haven't been baptised.
0030 10:01:41:24 10:01:48:01
Erm... what do we think
of the idea of limbo,
0031 10:01:48:01 10:01:51:02
which lasts for all eternity?
0032 10:01:51:02 10:01:54:12
- (Niall) It's not fair.
- It doesn't seem fair, does it?
0033 10:01:54:12 10:01:57:11
Where's Brooke? Stand up.
0034 10:01:58:11 10:02:00:14
Over there. Now. Hurry up.
0035 10:02:00:14 10:02:03:02
Call you out by number. 20 - up.
0036 10:02:03:02 10:02:06:10
21. 15. 17. Move over here.
0037 10:02:06:22 10:02:08:07
You and you, up.
0038 10:02:08:07 10:02:10:05
All of you guys, over there.
0039 10:02:10:05 10:02:12:05
As tight as possible. Move in.
0040 10:02:12:05 10:02:14:09
Move up tighter to each other.
0041 10:02:14:22 10:02:17:07
Could you move backwards
and move backwards?
0042 10:02:18:00 10:02:20:02
(students complaining)
0043 10:02:21:01 10:02:25:01
(Phil) This is the testimony
of a guy called Reverend Walsh.
0044 10:02:25:01 10:02:29:15
He discovered...
a load of slaves on a slave ship:
0045 10:02:29:15 10:02:32:12
"The heat of these places
was so horrid and so great,
0046 10:02:32:12 10:02:34:11
and the odour so offensive,
0047 10:02:34:11 10:02:36:08
that it was quite impossible
to enter them -
0048 10:02:36:08 10:02:38:04
even had there been room."
0049 10:02:38:04 10:02:41:18
"There were 517 creatures
of all ages and sexes -
0050 10:02:41:18 10:02:44:13
some children, some adults,
some old men and women -
0051 10:02:44:13 10:02:46:22
all in a state of total nudity,
0052 10:02:46:22 10:02:50:12
scrambling out together to taste
the luxury of fresh air and water."
0053 10:02:50:12 10:02:54:10
"They came swarming up like bees
from the aperture of a hive
0054 10:02:54:10 10:02:58:02
till the whole deck was crowded to
suffocation from stern to stern."
0055 10:02:58:02 10:03:01:17
We're gonna do a little exercise.
On the drum and the whip crack,
0056 10:03:01:17 10:03:04:05
if your number is one,
you shout out, "One".
0057 10:03:04:05 10:03:07:05
The next whip crack, if your number
is two, shout out, "Two".
0058 10:03:07:05 10:03:10:16
We're doing this only so
you can remember the order.
0059 10:03:10:16 10:03:14:06
Remember the person
who says the number before you.
0060 10:03:14:06 10:03:15:15
(girl #1) One.
0061 10:03:15:15 10:03:16:24
(boy #1) Two.
0062 10:03:16:24 10:03:18:05
(boy #2) Three.
0063 10:03:18:05 10:03:19:05
(girl #2) Four.
0064 10:03:19:05 10:03:21:15
- (boy #3) 25.
- (boy #4) 26.
0065 10:03:21:15 10:03:23:21
(boy #5) 27.
0066 10:03:23:21 10:03:26:05
(Phil) This is the atmosphere
on slave ships.
0067 10:03:26:05 10:03:30:00
It's hot, it's sweaty, it's filthy,
it's dirty, and you're dying.
0068 10:03:30:00 10:03:32:13
Boil it down... to one word
0069 10:03:32:13 10:03:36:11
to express how you would feel
on that slave ship.
0070 10:03:36:11 10:03:40:17
Right, we're gonna go from one
through to 27 with the drums.
0071 10:03:40:17 10:03:42:22
- Brooke, what's your word?
- "Miserable."
0072 10:03:42:22 10:03:46:20
"Miserable." Every beat, you're
gonna say the word "miserable".
0073 10:03:46:20 10:03:48:11
- Who's number two?
- (boy) Me.
0074 10:03:48:11 10:03:50:17
- What's your name?
- Ramon.
0075 10:03:50:17 10:03:51:23
- Your word?
- "Sick."
0076 10:03:51:23 10:03:54:02
With every beat,
from when Brooke starts...
0077 10:03:54:02 10:03:57:17
So we'll go... one,
Brooke goes, "Miserable".
0078 10:03:57:17 10:04:00:04
Two, Ramon goes, "Sick".
0079 10:04:00:04 10:04:02:10
But you still say, "Miserable".
Do you get me?
0080 10:04:02:10 10:04:04:13
Let's see if it works. Ready?
0081 10:04:04:13 10:04:06:20
- (Brooke) Miserable.
- (Ramon) Sick.
0082 10:04:06:20 10:04:08:24
- Yes! Yes.
- (all repeat their words)
0083 10:04:19:02 10:04:20:17
Keep going.
0084 10:04:27:14 10:04:29:24
How did the guys
on the slave ships...
0085 10:04:30:21 10:04:32:22
How are they like
the babies in limbo?
0086 10:04:32:22 10:04:35:05
It's not fair,
because it's not up to them.
0087 10:04:35:05 10:04:39:23
- It's not fair. Why else?
- They weren't given a choice.
0088 10:04:39:23 10:04:41:22
There was no choice, no volition -
0089 10:04:41:22 10:04:44:10
for the slaves
or for the babies in limbo.
0090 10:04:44:10 10:04:45:23
Anybody else?
0091 10:04:45:23 10:04:48:05
(girl) Limbo's a place
of uncertainty.
0092 10:04:48:05 10:04:50:13
The slaves do not know
where they're going,
0093 10:04:50:13 10:04:52:15
so they're unaware
of where they're going.
0094 10:04:52:15 10:04:55:19
(Phil) That's a fantastically
brilliant answer. Yeah.
0095 10:04:55:19 10:04:58:20
The babies don't know where
they're going, what's happening.
0096 10:04:58:20 10:05:02:22
The slaves are just in a black hole
of cess and filth.
0097 10:05:02:22 10:05:06:10
The key is the uncertainty.
Right, you can come back.
0098 10:05:08:12 10:05:12:24
Right, can I have Niall and Ramon,
please, standing here -
0099 10:05:12:24 10:05:16:10
either side of this stick?
So if you just hold it.
0100 10:05:16:10 10:05:19:10
Do you know what a limbo dance is?
0101 10:05:19:10 10:05:23:16
It's a celebratory dance. They do it
on beaches as a tourist attraction.
0102 10:05:23:16 10:05:25:24
They go back...
0103 10:05:26:16 10:05:28:20
underneath the stick...
0104 10:05:28:20 10:05:31:12
I did well there!
..go underneath the stick.
0105 10:05:31:12 10:05:34:00
If you touch the stick
with any part of your body,
0106 10:05:34:00 10:05:36:07
you're automatically out.
0107 10:05:36:07 10:05:38:14
Let's have five guys, please.
0108 10:05:39:09 10:05:41:09
Take it away. Go.
0109 10:05:41:09 10:05:44:20
Easy peasy. Well done.
No - he touched it. Well done.
0110 10:05:44:20 10:05:46:22
Oh! (laughs)
0111 10:05:46:22 10:05:51:14
It's actually the way that the
slaves came onto the slave ships.
0112 10:05:51:14 10:05:55:00
They couldn't walk on.
In order to get in the gap,
0113 10:05:55:00 10:05:58:13
they had to bend their knees
like that and go through.
0114 10:05:58:13 10:06:01:04
It was called
"the under-stick dance"
0115 10:06:01:04 10:06:05:08
and it portrays the slaves going
into the hold of the slave ship.
0116 10:06:05:08 10:06:07:13
The deck and the floor
were close together.
0117 10:06:07:13 10:06:11:12
The title of the dance, "limbo",
is a derivation of "limber" -
0118 10:06:11:12 10:06:15:15
they had to limber up to get
loose enough to get in there.
0119 10:06:15:15 10:06:19:13
We're gonna have the same five guys,
please, over there.
0120 10:06:19:13 10:06:24:21
Right, everybody else, could you
take a copy of the poem "Limbo"?
0121 10:06:24:21 10:06:27:08
Right, this is how
we're gonna read it out.
0122 10:06:27:08 10:06:31:00
Try and get it as the chant
on a slave ship. Go.
0123 10:06:32:01 10:06:35:09
(rhythmically) "And limbo stick
is the silence in front of me
0124 10:06:35:09 10:06:37:14
(students join in)
"Limbo, limbo like me
0125 10:06:37:14 10:06:40:10
"Limbo
Limbo like me
0126 10:06:40:10 10:06:43:03
"Long dark night
is the silence in front of me
0127 10:06:43:03 10:06:45:22
"Limbo
Limbo like me
0128 10:06:45:22 10:06:49:03
"Stick hit sound
and the ship like it ready
0129 10:06:49:03 10:06:52:13
"Stick hit sound
and the dark still steady
0130 10:06:52:13 10:06:55:12
"Limbo
Limbo like me
0131 10:06:55:12 10:06:58:06
"Long dark deck
and the water surrounding me
0132 10:06:58:06 10:07:01:22
"Long dark deck
and the silence is over me
0133 10:07:01:22 10:07:04:11
"Limbo
Limbo like me
0134 10:07:04:11 10:07:07:21
"Stick is the whip
and the dark deck is slavery
0135 10:07:08:03 10:07:11:19
"Stick is the whip
and the dark deck is slavery
0136 10:07:11:19 10:07:14:02
"Limbo
Limbo like me
0137 10:07:14:02 10:07:17:16
"Drum stick knock
and the darkness is over me
0138 10:07:17:16 10:07:21:11
"Knees spread wide
and the water is hiding
0139 10:07:21:11 10:07:23:17
"Limbo
Limbo like me
0140 10:07:23:17 10:07:27:07
"Knees spread wide
and the dark ground is under me
0141 10:07:27:07 10:07:31:10
"Down, down, down
0142 10:07:31:10 10:07:32:19
"And the drummer is calling me
0143 10:07:32:19 10:07:35:20
"Limbo
Limbo like me
0144 10:07:35:20 10:07:38:13
"Sun coming up
and the drummers are praising me
0145 10:07:38:13 10:07:41:14
"Out of the dark
and the dumb gods are raising me
0146 10:07:41:14 10:07:45:01
"Up, up, up
0147 10:07:45:01 10:07:46:23
"And the music is saving me
0148 10:07:46:23 10:07:50:16
"Hot slow step
0149 10:07:50:16 10:07:52:04
"On the burning ground."
0150 10:07:52:04 10:07:55:03
Well done. Sit down.
Do that.
0151 10:07:56:18 10:07:58:16
While you're doing it,
0152 10:07:58:16 10:08:01:06
see if you can put a letter sound
with your voice.
0153 10:08:01:06 10:08:03:12
What sound is this with your voice?
0154 10:08:03:12 10:08:05:20
- (clicking tongues)
- That's good.
0155 10:08:06:22 10:08:08:06
Cool.
0156 10:08:08:06 10:08:12:09
Mark, could you do us
some rim clicks, please?
0157 10:08:18:15 10:08:21:01
What letter sound is that?
0158 10:08:21:01 10:08:23:17
- K.
- (Phil) It's a K.
0159 10:08:23:17 10:08:27:04
So what sound does that make?
K... k... k... k...
0160 10:08:27:04 10:08:30:00
This poem is very percussive.
0161 10:08:30:00 10:08:32:02
It's one of the reasons
we've got the drums.
0162 10:08:32:02 10:08:34:09
It's got loads of k... sounds
in it -
0163 10:08:34:09 10:08:36:08
k... k... k... k...
0164 10:08:36:08 10:08:39:00
k... k... k... k... k... k...
0165 10:08:40:04 10:08:43:13
If there's loads of k... sounds
in it, loads of consonants in it,
0166 10:08:43:13 10:08:46:09
then you can describe a poem
as being percussive.
0167 10:08:46:09 10:08:52:11
For instance, "Long dark deck" -
k... k... k...
0168 10:08:52:11 10:08:55:03
You can get the k... sound
in three ways -
0169 10:08:55:03 10:08:58:05
either a C, or a K...
0170 10:08:58:05 10:09:03:09
Actually, a C and a K together,
which is a consonant blend...
0171 10:09:03:09 10:09:07:06
When you've got lots and lots
of consonant blends in a poem,
0172 10:09:07:06 10:09:10:20
lots and lots of the same sound,
then that is called "consonance".
0173 10:09:10:20 10:09:14:00
I'm gonna give you
a proper definition of it.
0174 10:09:14:00 10:09:16:04
Consonance is
a repetition of consonants
0175 10:09:16:04 10:09:19:22
in words stressed in the same place,
but whose vowels differ.
0176 10:09:19:22 10:09:23:17
Also a kind of inverted alliteration
in which final consonants,
0177 10:09:23:17 10:09:27:00
rather than initial ones,
repeat in nearby words.
0178 10:09:27:00 10:09:30:04
What do you know
by the term "alliteration"?
0179 10:09:30:04 10:09:34:02
- Yes, Alam?
- Where letters in a word repeat.
0180 10:09:34:02 10:09:36:10
Yeah. And alliteration
is always consonants.
0181 10:09:36:10 10:09:40:10
For instance, B would be "Billy
Beaver's bum in Fulham Broadway" -
0182 10:09:40:10 10:09:41:24
b... b... b... b...
0183 10:09:41:24 10:09:45:00
Alliteration is consonants
right at the front of it.
0184 10:09:45:00 10:09:47:08
Consonance...
Where consonance differs is,
0185 10:09:47:08 10:09:52:03
it's consonant blends and consonant
sounds right at the back of it.
0186 10:09:52:03 10:09:57:01
Why would the poet
use percussive sounds,
0187 10:09:57:01 10:09:59:03
a collection of percussive sounds?
0188 10:09:59:03 10:10:01:12
- Yes?
- Most slaves were African,
0189 10:10:01:12 10:10:03:15
and Africa's famous for its drums.
0190 10:10:03:15 10:10:05:20
OK. That's a very, very good answer.
0191 10:10:05:20 10:10:09:20
Yeah, Africa is quite famous for
drums, and the slaves were African.
0192 10:10:09:20 10:10:12:09
Anybody else want to go anywhere?
0193 10:10:12:09 10:10:15:04
I'm guessing the chains and stuff
dragging on the floor
0194 10:10:15:04 10:10:17:14
would make a sort of clicky sound.
0195 10:10:17:14 10:10:19:17
Fantastic. Really original. Yes?
0196 10:10:19:17 10:10:21:17
As they were doing the limbo dance,
0197 10:10:21:17 10:10:24:20
the shackles rattling would
go with the words of the poem.
0198 10:10:24:20 10:10:26:20
There'd certainly be
a rhythmic thing.
0199 10:10:26:20 10:10:30:04
If you're going onto the ship
and you're all chained together...
0200 10:10:30:04 10:10:32:04
what are you gonna get?
0201 10:10:32:04 10:10:33:24